Portable electric lamp



' Dec. 30. 1924. 1,521,105

R. c. KAY

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LAMP Filed May 7, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 30,. 1924. 1,521,105

- R. C. KAY v PORTABLE ELEC'I'RI C LAMP Filed May 7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 secured in another joint part.

Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

LEZLWS RICHARD GLARENDGN KAY, OESOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON, ENGLAND.

PORTABLE nnnc'rsrc LAMP.

Application filed May 7, 1923. Serial No. 637,220.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, RICHARD CLARENDON IZAY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing No. 19 Redcliffe Road, South Kensington, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Connect :1 with Portable Electric Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in or connected with portable elect-riclamps of the kind mounted in a lamp socket, connected by a universal or other joint to means such a flexible or elastic clip or band, for attachment to the finger, wristor head of the person.

According to this invention, the universal joint is interposed between the reflector or the lamp socket o1- holder and the means for attachment to the person and the said means for attachment is, moreover, suitably so constructed as in some positions of the lamp to complete the electric lamp circuit and in another position Or positions, to open or mterrupt the said circuit. In order to provide for wear, one member of the universal joint may be made adj ustable, By these improved means the lamp can be switched off merely by turning it beyond a pre-determined limit about onset the universal joint pivots.

Or the lamp-holder or socket is carried by a. joint part on which are provided conductors connected 1 with the positive and negative terminals of the lamp-holder or socket. These conductors are so disposed as to be capable of being brought into electrical contact with fixed or elastic contacts of socket terminals mounted in. a small block Thus, the flexible leads from a cell Or battery, or other sourceof current, can be connected to the terminal pins or pillars of a plug device so that connection and dlsconnection can be readily effected by the simple insertion or withdrawal of the pins or pillars into or from the socket terminals aforesaid. The one joint part is preferably adjustable. on the other in. such a manner as to enable the conductors to he brought into or out of contact with the contacts of the block aforesaid.

Alsmthe one joint part is preferably formed with a segment concentric with its pivot, the conductors being laid around theperiphery of this segment. Thus, the lamp can be tilted through a considerable angle without the circuit being broken, the conductors rubbing upon the fixed or spring contacts during the pivotal motion which produces the required tilt. The segment can be designed so that the circuit broken when a predetermined angle of tilt is exceeded.

And in order that the invention may be readily understood, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which lamp in position for opening the lamp 0 circuit. a

Figure 7 is a sideelevation of another modification.

Figure 8 is a front elevation of same, and

Figure 9 is a sectional side elevation thereof.

In Figures 1 to 3, o is a. reflector which is integral with a lamp-holder or socket b, but the reflector and lamp-holder may be made separately and subsequently connected together if desired. The lamp 0 is screwed or otherwise fixed in the holder, one ter minal contact of the lamp making contact with the pin d electrically connected to the terminal 45, to which a flexible conductor is in turn connected. The other terminal contact of the lamp, namely, the screw-threaded plug part, makes electrical contact with the metal lamp-holder F). A T-shaped bracket 6, which may be made by bending a single piece of sheet metal, has its head or laterally extending portions riveted to the reflector a. The stem portion of the bracket is pivotally connected with a member 7 by means of a smallpivot bolt The member 7 consists of a strip bent to form a rectangular figure with the ends bent to form two upward extensions f between which the stem of the bracket e is piv otally mounted as aforesaid. The extenj" may be formed with a laterally projecting pointed part f adapted for acting IOU I at

as astop to prevent the reflector from; be-

' ing turnedbeyond the position seen in Figure 3, so that it is impossible for the reflector as to be-turned into contact. with a terminalpillar h which is mounted on the memas hereinafter described. The nut onher the holt or screw 9 is tightened so that the member 6 turns friction tightly between the extensions f of the member 7.

The bottom portion of the member 7 is perforated to receive a pivot such as a rivet j, Figure 2, by means of which the member f is pivotally connectediwit'h a bent plate 'or clip 70 provided with an elastic finger clip Z or other means of attachment to the person. The pivots g and y, having their axes perpendicular to one another, constitute pivots of a universal joint enabling the lamp to he directed or adjusted in any direction. p

The terminal pillar it, above referred to,

vis conveniently secured to a small block m i elongated holes such as i which permit of of insulating materiahthis block being fitted with a='conduct'ing,strip n and the terminal pillar 71, being fixed in electrical contact with that strip The block m is secured within the rectangle of' 'the member 7" by means 01"; atransverse bolt 0 passing through thebloc'k and through perforations in the side portions of the rectangle, a nut 29 being screwed. tightly .on tothe end of the bolt. The perforations in the said side portions may' he howevenis cut away so as to term a'chord i which lies within the c'lrcl'eof which the arc at c forms a part. The stem of the member a is insulated from theparts ff by means of insulating washers indicated at 1. A suitable washer 2 may also be interposed'be:

' tween the parts f and 7c.

In use, the two wires from a battery or other source ofelectricity are connected to respective terminals, and h. The reflector u. and jpint members e'are turned about the i pivot g to the position seen m Figure 1, and

it the contact strip a on the block m is not then-in contact with the arcuate edge e ofthe member 6, the block m is adjusted vertically as aforesaid to bring the stripe into contact with the arcuate edge c Owing to the said arcbeing concentric wit'h the pivot 5 the reflector a and member 0 canbe turned Gil forwardly through a considerable angle,-

without the arcuate edge e losing contact with the stripn. So long as this contact ispreserved, the lamp circuit is completed asiollows: From the battery to the terminal 7 p .17, through the pin d and filament of the I lamp to the screw-threaded socket or plug of the lamp, through the screw-threaded lamp-holder b and the-metal reflector a to the joint member 6, from thelatter into the strip a and so to the: terminal h, It the reflector a and joint member 6 be turned rightwardly from the position seen in Figure 1 to that shown in Figure 3, the arcuate edge e loses contact with the strip at and the lamp circuit, is broken; The point at which contact is to be hrolren asaforesaid', can be predetermined, of course, forany desired angle of tilt about the pivot g.

According to the modification illustrated in Figure l, the block at with its metal strip n as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 is replaced by a sleeve of insulating material surrounding the bolt g,a conductor ring 9 being fixed around the sleeve g as shown. A terminal pillar s is formed in one with or attached to the ring 1' and takes the place of the terminal pillar it of Figures 1' to 3. The operationof this modified construction exactly the same asdescribedwithreterence to Figures 1 to 3, excepting that thereontouredv edge of the member 0 makes contact with the ring 1" instead-of with a flatstrip,

The modification illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 isa-dapted for breaking the lamp circuit when therefiector a; and member 0 are which the light is projected; The construction: is very similar to that seen in Figures 1' to 3, but the concentric ,arcuate edge indicated at c on the rearward edge of the member e extendsaround a reater an le than the are c in Figuresl to 3 and merges into a curve of decreasing rad'ius on the forward edge at the member a. By comparing Figure 6 with Figure 5, it will be seen that the lamp: circuit is broken by turning the reflector and member e forwardly about the pivot 9. On the. other hand, the'retlecto'r a can beturned rearwardly or rightwardly from the position'seen, in Figure 5, through a, considerable angle without theedge e? losing contact with thestrip n. Figures 5 and6y show tlieapivot j connecting the member 'f with a metal strip z, secured. by rivets or any other suitable means to a wrist or head strap i 24 instead toa finger clip, as wil-llbe readily understood.

i'icccordingto the constructionshown in:

l igur'es T, 8 and: 9, the lamp socket or holder 72 (wh ch may be mtegral with the reflector a orattached to the latter by screwing), is

screwed into one end of a flat piece a of insulating materiahsuchiias wood or ebonite. The bore of the lamp-holder or socket is transverse o the length oi lthe fiat piece 6 lhe opposite.endportion ofthis piece-c is :toi' ed on one.sidefwith a segmental periphmy than 90, and on the, other side with a longi. tudinal edge e. The segmental periphery e is concentricwith a pivot hole ef-mending around, say, somewhat more.

the segmental portion oi the fiat piece and so as to extend from the neighbourhood of the. lamp socket down and around the segmental portion and up the straight edge portion where their op oosite ends are embedded in the piece 6 0' insulating material or secured by small screws or the like. A wrlst strap a, or a finger ring or the like is fitted tit) vthe sockets (Z h.

with a pivot j, on which is mountedla member, bracket or clamp 7 made of a strip of sheet metal, bent to form a rectangular figure with the ends bent to form two upward extensions 7.

Thelimbs of the member or clamp are suitably bent to form recesses and a small rectangular block m of insulating material. is inserted into the member or clamp 7"; The said block m is formed .with two transverse parallel bores into.

which are inserted fixed terminals such as On thatsurface of the block whioh is presented upwardly between the, limbs 7, two spring contact studs (Z and 72, are fitted in electrical connection with respective'sockets d h'. The limbs f f of the member or clamp f are formed with holes 7', and the fiat piece aforesaid is inserted between the limbs so that its pivot hole comes fair with the holes 7. A screw-threaded pivot pin or bolt 9 is then inserted through the holes and pivot holes in flat piece 6 and is secured by a nut and washer. If spring contacts (1 and hare employed, these allow of the assembling of the parts without anvadjustment between the part c and the block m, but it fixed contacts be used, the'holes in the limbs 7 must bein the form of oblong slots, and then by adjusting the pivot g of the flat piece down the slots in the limbs f towards the block m, the conductor strips 4) 'v on its periphery may be brought into contact with the contact studs of the block, whereupon the nut is tightened and the flat piece is held friction-tight in the clamp. The conductors of a double flex are connected on the one hand to respective pins or pillars w an on a plug or bridge piece w and on the other hand with poles or terminals of a source of electricity. The pins or pillars m w are then insertedintothe sockets of the small terminal block m, whereupon the circuit of the lamp is completed. The clamp f may be turned around its pivot j in one plane, and the flat piece 6 can be turned about its pivot in a plane perpendicular to the plane in which the clamp. is turned.

So long as the flat piece 6 is turned with the conductors o 4) on its segmental periphcry in contact with the spring contacts (Z mounted in the block, the circuit is maintained, but if it should be turned beyond. a certain point, the conductors o 'v' passlout of or lose contact and the lamp circuit is broken.

I claim 1. in a portable electric lamp, the coin bination oi? a lamp holder, means for attaching said holder to a person, terminals for onnection with a supply of electricity. :1 universal joint connection between said lamp holder and attaching means, one mem her of the universal joint. acting as a sliding electric contact during a relatively large angularmovement of said member about its pivot, and acting as a cut off switch during further movement, substantially as set forth.

2. In a portable electric lamp, the combination of. a lamp holder an attaching means for said holder, terminals for connection to a supply of electricity, a universal joint connection between said lamp holder and the attaching means a plane electrical contact on one joint member, and an eccentric surface on another member ofthe universal joint adapted to contact with said plane electrical contact during a certain arcuate movement of said member and to be out of contact on further movement, substantially as set forthf In aportable electric lamp, the combination of a lamp holder, attachment means therefor, a universal joint connection between said lamp holderfand attachment means, a plane portion on one joint part of said universal joint, an electrical contact on said plane portion, aperipheral segmental portion on the other joint part, an electrical contact on said segmental portion adapted to make contact with the electrical contact on the plane portion according to the position of the said segmental portion in relation to the plane portion, a terminal adapted to be electrically connected with one of the lamp terminals through the universal joint. and another terminal adapted to be electrically connected with the other lamp terminal, substantially as set forth.

4i. In a portable electric lamp, the combination of means for attaching it to the person, a

universal joint, a lamp-holder, the said universal joint comprising a pivot mounted on the said means of attachment, a frame' contact in the frame and in other positions contacting therewith, mounted on the said segmental portion and v terminals, one' of the vsa'idi termin being adapted to be in' elec- 'f tric connection with one of the lamp terminals through the univevsal joint and the other terminal adapted tosbein: electric connection with the other lamp terminal, substantially as set forth;

5*. In a portable electric lamp, the combination of? means for attaching it to: the person,.a universal joint constituted by a pivot,

mounted on the said attachment means, a frame, mounted on the said pivot, having a base and two parallel members, a block of insulating material at the base of the frame,

' a" pair of terminals fixedly mounted in the said block, an elert'ric contact pro ectmg] from each terminal, a pivot pin mounted in the said trameremotefrom the contacts and perpendicular to the pivot aforesaid, a joint member of'insulating material having 21 segmounted on the segmental portion, each adapted to communicate with one terminal 'ot the electric lamp, substantially asset forth.

61f In: a pontable electrie= lamp, the combi nation of means ton attaching it to the pen son, at uniwensal joint constituted-by as pivot mounted on: the 'saicl attachmentvmeans; a

rectangular rl'mame, mountedonthe said pivot. having a base and! t oiparal-lel memhers;- a.b-lock ofi insulating mat-e-nialtpartial'liy enclosed and fixed. in the said base ot the theme, a pain of tetminals fixedly mounted: in the said bloclean elastically mounted electric eon-tact projecting It'nom each terminal; a pivot pinmeunted in the said: frame Remote from the" contacts and ,penpendlculan to the pirvot' at'o joint member of-insulating material having a segmental portionatone-end and a scnewthreadedi socket at the othen end, the saidj oint: memberbeing' mounted on the pivot pin soas be: partially rotatable t-hereon,. an electric lamp: holder adapted to be screwed into the saidsocket,a: pair of con-- dnetoizs mounted on: the se-gmental portion,

'one conductor" extending into the screw-v thtcurdede socket to make" contact Withone lamp terminal andthexoth'er' conductor ex tending into another part at the screwthlZGlLClECl socket to make contact with the,

other lampi terminal, a reflector and lampholder adapted: tel be, screwed lIltO the said sorew-tllheaded: socket, substantially as set forth.

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